Maybe I was ego tripping?

The Flaming Lips=Zen?

The lyrics to my favorite Flaming lips song:
Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell.

I was waiting on a moment
But the moment never came
All the billion other moments
Were just slipping all away
I must have been tripping
Were just slipping all away
Just ego tripping

I was wanting you to love me
But your love it never came
All the other love around me
Was just wasting all away
I must have been tripping
Was just wasting all away
Just ego tripping

I was waiting on a moment
But the moment never came...

Cinematic Orchestra

Into You.

A little simplicity for the cold days

Download:

Dot-Gonzales

My New Love: Bonobo

Oh, to discover new music. It gives way to a wave of emotions. You feel all at once greatful because it feels as though you've found the one sound thats been missing from you life, and incredulous because you can't believe it existed in the world before without your knowledge. I've always been a fan of downtempo and became slowly familiar with NinjaTune over the past few years (artist include Diplo, Fog, Daedelus, and Saul Williams) occasionally downloading new tracks by various artist.

Probably a year ago I downloaded Bonobo's Flutter. I might have listened to it then but didn't really dig it at the time or maybe I intended to listen to it but never got around to it, whatever the case while listening to Bon Iver this morning I allowed my Itunes to play straight through and came across this gem.

I'll post the song up to tumblr and link back, after midnight. Been having problems uploading the song onto the tumblr sight. I'll get it up as soon as I can.

My Favorite Things (link heavy)

A friend and I were discussing, or rather are in constant discussion about our favorite albums. He told me, when we first began talking about it, how he loved an album so much that he couldn’t listen to it with anyone for fear they wouldn’t have the same reaction. I feel that way about quite a few albums. The worse [best] being The Department of Eagles LP, Whitey on the Moon, its absolutely one of my favorite albums, as well as being on the oddest albums I’ve ever listened to. It combines the normal indie sensibilities with of say, Grizzly Bear (in which member Daniel plays) with the oddness of Fog’s Andrew Browder, and a little bit of Gorillaz thrown in (listen to Forty Dollar Rug). If you’re having a hard time picturing the sound. Just stop, please, for my sake. I can’t deal with you not enjoying it.

This is one of the few albums that I can (and do) listen to from beginning to end, over and over again. And have done so consistently for the past four years. I wanted to post a song up, but I’m at work now. Check for it later on tumblr. I'd feel more comfortable linking to their myspace page, but the new stuff their sounds a lot more like a more boring indie music. Pretty but a little uninteresting. (Check out their Old site too, there are songs still available for download there I believe)

Also I found out about the record from Turntable Lab, which is where I used to go to find out and sample a lot of my favorite music.

I signed up for Gum Drop...

...from Stereo Gum. Usually they're lumped in with the other email lists I'm on and treated as spam (after I look for the download that is) but this one had a quote from Jesy Fortino (Tiny Vipers) that I found personally relevant. Especially now that I’m combing through journals in order to find poetry to post to my new site.

I keep journals. Sometimes I pick up a journal from a year or two ago and the pages are typically full of crap that doesn't matter anymore; lists of things I need to get done, trivial situations that upset me, things I'm worried about. But if I think back, in my mind, to the time period those entries were written, I come to images and feelings that those entries do not depict ... You never know what you'll take from the present ... Some people say that we each have a purpose in life that is often hidden from us.

PS. I really, really like her songs too.

Common and Q-tip live at Nokia

Instead of buying my best friend a gift that should could have this weekend, I decided instead to buy her an experience. Choosing to give someone something intangible that they can remember and think back on. Plus she hearts Common Big Time.

All in all the concert was Fresh! minus the first hour that we stood around waiting for Q-tip to come on. They began the night off with a DJ 88-Keys. 88-Keys apparently has a new album coming out, 88-Keys told the audience he had a new album coming out in the middle of every song. He'd start playing a beat that he'd made for Mos Def or Talib and then half way through he's stop the song, Why? Because he needed to talk more about his album coming out.

The next guy, Percee P, is from the same place J-Dilla came from. That's all. That's how they announced him, and that's all I remember. Oh and the guy in the audience who has his middle finger pointed at the stage the entire time he performed.

Q-Tip was so freakin fresh. He performed a lot of old Tribe Called Quest songs such as "Scenario" and "Find a Way", which kept everyone hyped up. He performed some of his own old songs, and songs from his forthcoming album. I'd never seen someone work the crowd the way he did, it was like an hour of dancing and sweating. He had a guy come up to the stage and perform a popular song with him as Phife. Q-tip also brought out Dres from Black Sheep to perform "The Choice is Yours." I wish I'd gotten more pictures and video from his performance but alas here is the only one. Q-tip "Let's Ride":

Then at the end of his performance Scratch took the stage and killed it. I didn't get the best part of his performance, just the intro:
By the time Common took the stage, everyone was fairly tired. To be frank, Q-tip had the better show. Tough act to follow. Although I have to say he did a fairly good job with a crowd that was losing their steam. One of the first songs he performed was Driving Me Wild:
I kept waiting for him to bring out a special guest, and there he was in all his glory Krs-One performing "The Bridge is Over":
Common, Krs-One and Q-tip all got on stage together for a freestyle:
Side note: I've never seen anyone change clothes as much as Common did, not even Kanye when I saw him a while back and he changed quite often. Every few songs, the stage would go dark and he'd come out in a completely new outfit, complete with new accessories (Malcolm glasses, a knit scarf, two/three hats, sunglasses, etc.).

Near to the end he performed "I want you" which I had been waiting for all night:
And "The Light":

There is no way to conclude this except to say sick concert, sick night

(extra song info via: Fantasy Dopegirl)

The Hipster Extravaganza

The live artist I tend to enjoy the most are the ones that I happen to stumble upon, somehow, accidentally. Maybe while wandering into a bar for a drink (how I first heard Ryan Scott or Melody Gardot) or as opening acts for other bands.

On Wednesday my friend and I went to Peter Hadar's "Hipster Extravaganza" (I'm not even sure he knew why he chose to call it that because the crowd, the venue and the artists were anything but hipster) at SOB’s with the slight promise of seeing Janelle Monae perform even though I had to scour the interweb to find even just a small hint that she might be there. There was obliviously as well the pull of seeing Mishal Moore, the youtube chanteuse that has been making her name known through hard work the modern way, figuring out a way to make the most well known video sight her bitch. I'd briefly perused Hadar's Myspace page and found the songs satisfactory, upon a brief listen, with the added benefit of his being the writer for Carl Thompson.

The first artist to go up on the stage was a young rapper, that I'd love to write about but I can't remember anything about him. His face draws a blank, I can't even think of his name. Not to say I didn't think that he wasn't talented at the time, but he did not have the added benefit of having a stage presence and the over all night of talented performers who seemed to have their shows a little more polished and on point just generally overshadowed him all together. I did feel for the guy. He was playing to what at the time was a luke warm crowd.


Mishal Moore came next and I have one word to describe that girl's voice: breathtaking. The beauty with which she sings is enough to arrest your attention in a way that I don't feel many artist can. Its soulful, its gentle, its strong, and it can stand on its own without being overproduced. Hearing her voice feels intimate, making me witsh simultaneously that I was seeing her perform as the headlining act (they only allowed two songs) and that I was in a much smaller venue. She came out, meekly proclaiming herself as a non guitarist and asked the audience "How many of you heard of me through youtube?" and played two of her YouTube hits. "I Put a Spell on You" by Screaming Jay Hawkins has forever been one of my least favorite songs (right up there with "The Little Drummer Boy"), and the fact that its played in televised ice skating showcases repeatedly and at one too many Halloween parties has not ever helped the song ease into something that I might casually enjoy. Not even hearing Nina Simone singing it can save it for me. BUT hearing Moore belt the tune was enough to change my mind, I've been singing her rendition repeatedly for the past two days. From her the song becomes less the annoyingly gimmicky song that it seemed in my youth but an actual plea for love. Her next song was titled "Make Up Sex". I'd heard the song on YouTube but I enjoyed it much more in person. Although I have to agree with my friend upon a better listen there were times that I felt the lyrics lagged, especially when she gets to lines "I will wrap my hands around your neck/ slowly let them fall to your stomach/ the butterflies will make you rise/underneath the sheets all night" But I can honestly say that the rest of the makes me want to over look the small fault for the bigger picture. I wanted suddenly to find a lover to start a fight just so I could potentially make up again. Also, I would definitely recommend that everyone check out her Sunday songs on Youtube, before she gets famous and it’s not free.
I'm definitely a lover of hip-hop when its done right, which everyone knows so often is not the case, but every so often you get a chance to see someone new and fresh at the beginning of their career that you know could potentially change the game. Blitz the Ambassador is one such MC. Fresh, Fresh, Fresh. Listening to Blitz, I wasn't just blown away by the full band, or the innovative crisps rhymes, but it was his clarity. To see an MC for the first time, lacking a certain familiarity with their music its so important to be able to actually understand what they're saying so that the message can actually come through. A dope beat is a dope beat, and someone may sound great and put on a good show, but if you have to strain to understand what they're saying its just not as effective to me. Then to have someone who's voice was so clear and then to find out that they were dope, that they were spitting lyrics that were political and sometimes funny but always true. I would definitely go on to say that he was the most skilled performer at the show (and probably the most well known having opened for KRS-1 this summer at Prospect Park and Slum Village at South Paw he's been making a name for himself) He worked the dead crowd up and even got a little audience participation from the otherwise quiet and small crowd. He performed his song Hypocrisy among others.


Next up was Shae Fiol from Portland Oregon. God, this girl went up on the stage alone following what was at the time the best performance of the night thus far and worked it as well. Now, I know if you've been reading this long you're beginning to think, well you just liked everyone but I'd definitely invite you to take a listen to her music and believe it for yourself. I wasn't quite expecting her to be so awesome when she walked out in her "Hipster Extravaganza" socks. I only say that because I was so moved by the entire performance of Blitz that he seemed like a hard act to follow. Fiol held herown beautifully. She likewise kept the crowds energy up with her folky jazzy songs. Her voice is sort of like a better version of Esthero. Her last song: Catch a Ride is the type of song I wish I'd had on repeat all summer.

After that was 8th W1 and Peter Hadar, who performed separately but with the same band. First off, I can't begin to talk about their performances without first acknowledging the talented band, a better than average funk/jazz quartet. They stole the show during 8th W1's performance.

First off let me start by saying that I might have been slightly put off by 8th W1 due to the fact that he was standing behind me during Fiol's performance talking and cajoling much louder than necessary, so my opinion of him prior to his getting on stage was not to high. That being said, his performance seemed lackluster. From Moore to Blitz to Fiol the roster seemed to be a group of incredibly talented, if not eclectic group of performers. So I'm not saying that I didn't feel that he was talented, I think he was, but I just didn't feel he was the most talented of the bunch. And his cocky attitude did not particularly help, if you want to have an ego like Mr. West, then you sure had better have his talent to back it up. I've gone to his myspace to listen to a few of his songs, and I enjoyed the two that were there, but his lack of stage presence killed it for me, that and the fact that half the time I missed most of his lyrics into the mike, it was easy just to focus simply on the band as they place their jazz hooks.


Finally I wanted most of all to be impressed by Peter Hadar. I check out his myspace page briefly preceding the show, which I liked all the time. And he'd assembled a wonderful line-up of artist's in an event as the headliner so I wanted him to bring it. Again, Hadar didn't live up to the rest of gang that followed him. I strained to stay interested in his average voice, to songs that I thought could possibly been above average had they been sang by someone else. His voice was merely average considering the wealth of talent that is on the airwaves in the R and B category. I definitely hate saying harsh things about someone just at the beginning of their career, but while he looked good on stage and seemed really to get into the songs his lack of vocal dexterity quickly made me lose interest. I wanted him to be as good as all the names under the roster of singers he's worked for. I have to commend him on the other hand for assembling a mostly sick show. He definitely has an ear for talent. Tried though we might, we actually ended up leaving before he finished his last few songs.

All and all it was a wonderful night. One worth writing about, had a great time and found some new music in the process as well.

*the gift bags contained clear rolling papers
**photos courtesy of brandon king

The Mystery, The Darkness, The Song and Me.

Last night I fell asleep listening to Langston Hughes "Weary Blues" and woke up and played it again this morning. It was a gift that I received years back when I was younger played it, got it but didn't get it, listened again a few years on and was finally able to connect. There is something to be said about the complexity of the music and the way it lyrically matches the complexity of the poetry.

Langston Hughes voice, so languid and smooth, it reminds me of a storm in full force where the rain falls so steadily and hard that it becomes a peaceful relaxing sound. A voice to dream to.

There is something quite positively refreshing especially given the current climate of spoken word about the lack of theatrics in his reading. Its simple, its direct and it speaks volumes about the political climate of the era.

It’s the type of album that everyone should hear at least once: for the poetry, for the music, for the history.

The Weary Blues- Langston Hughes (1923)

1 Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
2 Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
3 I heard a Negro play.
4 Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
5 By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
6 He did a lazy sway ....
7 He did a lazy sway ....
8 To the tune o' those Weary Blues.
9 With his ebony hands on each ivory key
10 He made that poor piano moan with melody.
11 O Blues!
12 Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
13 He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
14 Sweet Blues!
15 Coming from a black man's soul.
16 O Blues!
17 In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
18 I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--
19 "Ain't got nobody in all this world,
20 Ain't got nobody but ma self.
21 I's gwine to quit ma frownin'
22 And put ma troubles on the shelf."
23 Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
24 He played a few chords then he sang some more--
25 "I got the Weary Blues
26 And I can't be satisfied.
27 Got the Weary Blues
28 And can't be satisfied--
29 I ain't happy no mo'
30 And I wish that I had died."
31 And far into the night he crooned that tune.
32 The stars went out and so did the moon.
33 The singer stopped playing and went to bed
34 While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
35 He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.